Top Rank on ESPN goes to the “Mecca of Boxing” Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday, April 20 with a card full of rising young talent and a main event featuring the three-division world champion and current undefeated WBO title holder Terence “Bud” Crawford putting his belt on the line against former junior welterweight champion Amir “King” Khan.
The Crawford vs. Khan card will be shown live on ESPN Pay-Per-View and will also feature lightweight standout Teofimo Lopez and US Olympic silver medalist Shakur Stevenson.
Crawford (34-0, 25 KOs) is considered by many as the pound-for-pound king of boxing having won world title championships in three different weight divisions and clearing out the 140-pound weight class to become undisputed champion and then moving up to welterweight to claim the WBO world title against Jeff Horn.
Tonight he may in against his toughest test when he faces Amir Khan a tall lanky fast boxer who has something to prove.
The speed and angles of Khan could present a tough task for the Nebraska native. Crawford believes he can offset the quick handed Brit with his timing and ring generalship. This will be the biggest stage of Crawfords career and he wants to win the fight clearly by either wide decision or knockout.
Khan (33-4, 20 KOs) is one of the biggest stars in boxing from the UK. He captured the public’s attention right out of the Olympics when he won the silver medal in 2004. From the moment he turned professional he was given lots of media attention and endorsement deals.
He held two belts in the light welterweight division the WBA and IBF. The reason Khan chose to fight Crawford against someone like Kell Brook is for the legacy. He feels Crawford is the best pound-for-pound and a win over him could be a huge accomplishment on his resume.
The undercard will have three additional bouts featuring young boxing talent.
The co-main event will be headlined by lightweight sensation Teofimo Lopez (12-0, 10 KOs) taking on Edis Tatli, if Lopez wins he wants to call out lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko for a Pay-Per-View fight next.
US Olympian Shakur Stevenson (10-0, 6 KOs) continues to climb the featherweight division and he will be in against a tough Freddie Roach trained fighter Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz who himself is a highly touted young boxer out of Puerto Rico.
Opening the PPV card is Felix “El Diamante” Verdejo (24-1, 16 KOs) who represented Puerto Rico in the 2012 Olympic games. He will fight Bryan Vasquez of Costa Rica in a 10-round lightweight bout.
The commentary team for Crawford-Khan will be longtime ESPN boxing play-by-play guy Joe Tessitore, former world champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley, and 2004 Olympic gold medalist and former long reigning super middleweight champion Andre “SOG” Ward. The studio and desk analyst team will be Max Kellerman, Mark Kriegal, Bernado Osuna and Crystina Poncher.
Top Rank on ESPN PPV Fight Card
Welterweight Championship – Terence Crawford (Champ) vs. Amir Khan (WBO Title)
Lightweight – Teofimo Lopez vs. Edis Tatli
Featherweight – Shakur Stevenson vs. Christopher Diaz
Lightweight – Felix Verdejo vs. Bryan Vasquez
Crawford vs. Khan April 20, 2019 Live on ESPN PPV at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT available through all major cable and satellite providers with a suggested retail price of $59.95 (SD) or $69.95 (HD).
